Tag: Kraken

It got very cold very quickly in Davis. Autumn lasted but a few weeks it seems and now I’m stuck with the dry, bitter cold. Of course with the cold weather I’m supposed to be making punches, warm rums, and hot toddys. The last of those I can’t stand and the other two I’ve had no experience with whatsoever. Besides, I thought I’d try to capture a bit of the lost summer and make a Daiquiri

The ingredients

Daiquiri

2 oz. dark rum

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. simple syrup

Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

You’ll notice that this drink isn’t being served in a pineapple, a bright color, or got half a fruit basket popping out of the top of it. Frozen Daiquiri’s are quite something else. Some might call them an ‘abomination.’ Not me, I’m too kind. But some might. A real Daiquiri is a simple cocktail, and an old one. Originating in Cuba sometime in the late 19th century the drink is attributed an American engineer and brought to the United States, New York specifically, by a Congressman! The drink caught on from there with the US military before becoming popular nationwide during World War II, rationing made vodka and whiskey harder to come by!

The original drink was white rum served in a tall glass over cracked ice, with sugar being poured over the ice and then limes squeezed into the glass. The cocktail was then stirred until the glass frosted. Today, it is shaken with shaved ice and served in a cocktail glass. Dark rum is often substituted today as well.

Anyway, despite being delicious the Daiquiri did not quite warm me up as much as I had hoped. Oh well!

Like this:

With the relationship between the United States of America and Cuba finally beginning to thaw after 55 years I thought it might be appropriate to visit one of the most popular cocktails of all time, though it’s rarely called by it’s actual name these days, the Cuba Libré or rum and coke.

The Cuba Libré’s history, like most cocktail histories, is a bit murky but most agree that the drink was birthed in Havana sometime after the Spanish-American War (which ended in 1898.) The original cocktail calls for fresh lime juice and angostura bitters; some recipes even call for adding gin. The rum and coke has become the most pedestrian of cocktails made with little gusto and drank with even less. I encourage you to try the original some time.

The ingredients

Cuba Libré

1/2 to 1 lime

2 ounces rum, preferably dark

1/2 ounce gin (optional)

Coca-Cola, chilled

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Squeeze the lime into a Collins glass, then drop the spent lime half into the glass. Add two to four ice cubes. Pour in rum (and gin if using.) Fill glass with Coke, add bitters, and give two stirs to incorporate everything.

I’ve always appreciated a good rum and coke. The actual cocktail is even better, the bitters help tame the sweetness of the Coke and rum goes good with everything. I sat on the porch listening to the Beach Boys and drinking this cocktail wishing that the weekend wasn’t over and I wasn’t landlocked…

It certainly is beginning to feel a lot like Spring! Nice hot days, lingering warm nights. This bodes ill for our summer but we’re enjoying the lovely weather while we can. So, what’s the perfect drink for a long, warm evening? Planter’s Punch comes to mind…

The ingredients

Planter’s Punch

3 oz. dark rum

1 oz. simple syrup

3/4 oz. lime juice

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients in a glass and fill with crushed ice. Swizzle with a bar spoon until a frost forms on the outside of the glass. The ice will settle as you do this; add more crushed ice to fill, garnish with a mint sprig.

Ah, the perfect cocktail to enjoy while sitting out on your porch or back patio enjoying the lovely weather. What’s great about this cocktail is that you can sit back, relax, and drink it at a nice, slow pace. Let the ice melt a little, let the ingredients mix into each other. The last sip is just as enchanting as the first! Cool, sweet, refreshing. Love it.

We had a big rainstorm this weekend, the nights are cooler, and the days aren’t boiling. Summer is definitely on its way out! And to send it off in style I decided to make one last fruity, summery drink: the Mai Tai. Okay, I was actually scrambling to find some decent Martini glasses to make the classic martini in when D recommended we try a Mai Tai instead. It helped that we had most of what we needed for them anyway, I’m glad she recommended them!

The ingredients

Mai Tai

1 oz. dark rum

1 oz. amaretto

3 oz. orange juice

3 oz. pineapple juice

grenadine

Fill glass with ice cubes, add rum and amaretto, add juices until glass is full, and finally add a splash of grenadine.

I’m having a hard time thinking of a better way to say goodbye to summer!

Turns out Mai Tais are a great way to say goodbye to Summer and welcome Fall! These were delicious. Fruity, sugary, and addictive! The amaretto and rum are the perfect complement to the orange and pineapple juices. Moving into Fall I’ll be making more warm drinks but on those cloudy days when I’m dreaming of blue skies and the sun I think a Mai Tai just might help me remember…